Service buildings are structures for enclosing air handling units such as fans and air conditioners, and service buildings are normally erected on, or in proximity to, a main building, such as a factory, in which the air is to be used or distributed. Service buildings are generally located on the roof of the main building or at ground level adjacent the main building, and such structures are normally constructed on site by first erecting a frame and then securing the walls and roof to the frame.
Although such structures are often made from standard components, such as 4.times.8 foot sheets of plywood, composite board, or other sheet-like panels, it is, nevertheless, generally necessary to cut some components to size on site. Accordingly, hammers, saws, and other construction tools, must be transported to the construction site. It should also be appreciated that when one utilizes components of standard, off-the-shelf dimensions, and when on-site fitting is to be minimized, the design of the resulting structure is severely limited.
The prior art construction and use of composite wall panels is perhaps best exemplified by the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,926. The frame members for use with such wall panels are normally extruded from a metallic substance such as aluminum to provide a light weight, yet strong, frame that will impart structural integrity to the resulting panel. The facing, or skin, of such panels is also a preferably light weight material, such as a plastic sheeting material or a thin gauge metallic substance (in this situation, as well, aluminum may be satisfactorily employed). The frame members have historically been fastened together by suitable means such as rivets, bolts or other mechanical fasteners, and the facing materials have historically been secured to the frame members by an adhesive. The interior, or core, of each panel is usually filled with thermal, as well as sound, insulating materials. Typical core filler materials are polystyrene, or other plastic foams, fiberglass layers and even phenolic impregnated paper honeycomb sheets. In fact, virtually any type of core filler may be employed, so long as it provides the desired insulating qualities. Such panels may be sufficiently rigid to provide structural integrity to the walls constructed therefrom, and yet they are sufficiently light in weight that they can be manually manipulated with relative ease to facilitate the assembly and erection of walls in a building structure.
As is well known to the prior art, such panels may be erected upwardly of sill members supported from a foundation, roof or other relatively flat surface with considerable facility. Such sill members typically extend upwardly a sufficient extent so as to lie above the level of any water that would normally be expected to collect in proximity thereto. Doors, windows or other openings may be included, as desired or required. Even though such panels are frequently employed to erect structures that are preferably windowless, the panels are often required to be provided with openings to accommodate filters, duct work, louvers or the like. Such panels are sufficiently air tight that they preclude the circulation of air therethrough, and the core material can be selected to prevent excess thermal conduction or radiation through the panels themselves.
The prior art arrangements generally required some skill to cut and erect at least the framing members, on site, and such arrangements are, therefore, more labor intensive, and thus more expensive, than desirable.